The Space Between the Lines
by mariu100
Summary: One shots, for all those moments we didn't get to see on-screen. Next up, Angela thinks she knows everything about Booth and Brennan's relationship-but does she? This story takes place three months after "The Change in the Game."
1. Hannah's Big Night Out

_This one's for FaithinBones, because her Hannah stories always warm my heart. It's also a little break for me from all the angst of Time Out._

Hannah couldn't help the big smile that came to her while she was putting on her lip gloss. Another hot date with her super hot guy, one that she was sure would end in the same way all the others had-sex, sex, and more sex. Good, sweaty, wild sex that left them pleasantly buzzed for hours afterwards.

She supposed it was kind of goofy to keep thinking of them as 'dates' since they were living under the same roof, but whenever she went out with Seeley it still felt a little like that. Maybe because he was such an old-fashioned gentleman, always opening car doors and pulling out chairs for her-you didn't see much chivalry in men these days. Or more to the point, maybe because there was still so much that they needed to learn about one another, irrespective of the fact that they'd been sharing the same place for more than three months now. This element of mystery helped to keep things interesting and fresh, and probably explained why their relationship continued to be so inebriating, even to this day. They laughed a lot and they bantered and kissed-and then some-whenever they were together, and the conversations were light and breezy. Just the way she liked things.

Occasionally, though, she got the funny feeling that deep down maybe her boyfriend was looking for something different, and whenever that happened, it brought on an uncomfortable case of restlessness in her that was hard to dispel. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but sometimes he came at her with such fervor in those sweet brown eyes of his, it was almost like he was pushing for them to head in a different direction than the one they were going. If she didn't know him any better, she would almost think he was being emotionally needy, which was ridiculous. Seeley Booth, macho army guy, strong and confident, who could have anyone and anything he wanted, being needy. As if.

He'd never put anything into words, so maybe it was just her overactive imagination playing tricks on her. What more could either of them possibly want? What they had was exciting and comfortable, all at the same time, and they were in love.

She still remembered Temperance's veiled warning though, when they were discussing the move into his apartment. Why did his partner even feel the need to bring _that_ subject up? Of course she knew what she was doing by moving in; she wasn't just stringing Seeley along, or doing it because she couldn't afford a place of her own. And if he was capable of giving himself completely to the person he loved, whatever that even meant, so was she. They were together, they spent as much time connecting as their busy professional lives allowed, and they thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. There wasn't much else left to 'give.'

It had been a weird conversation, but then Hannah had finally figured out just what had prompted the enigmatic girl talk. Temperance had apparently been interested in Seeley all along. He had guiltily confessed as much to her not too long ago, because he said it was important for him to be honest with her about what had come before. Maybe "interested all along" wasn't the exact expression he'd used, but she could put the pieces of the puzzle together, especially if you threw in Temperance's earlier words of caution to her. He also happened to mention that he'd been interested in his partner before leaving for Afghanistan, but that the feelings hadn't been returned at that time. Well, Seeley had chosen to move on, while Temperance had apparently experienced a change of heart; perhaps even secretly harboring some hope that he would come back to her if things between him and his new girlfriend didn't work out. All she could say to that was, don't hold your breath, Dr. Brennan.

Bottom line, the advice that got handed to her on that day by the forensic anthropologist was pretty self-serving, then.

She didn't hold Temperance's feelings against her, nor did she feel even remotely threatened by them. She respected Seeley's partner; in many ways, despite all the glaring differences, they shared many of the same personality traits. They were both fiercely independent go-getters whose professional lives always took precedence over anything personal. That's why they were both so highly thought of in their respective lines of work, so successful. And it sure as hell felt good to be 'top dog.'

Poor Temperance, though; she was such an odd duck, really. Deep down, Hannah was still mortified about having taken the woman's sunglasses from her during that one hospital visit way back. It was just meant as a little joke, nothing more; she was just messing with her to see what would happen, in part because she was feeling silly from the pain medication and in part because she thought that Temperance would eventually get the humor of it and just play along. She never dreamt that Seeley's co-worker would actually take the pair of expensive glasses off her head and hand them over, remarking in all seriousness how she understood the anthropological reasons behind Hannah's request. God, she had felt so guilty about that later, and so embarrassed for Temperance, she didn't have the nerve to tell her it was all just some juvenile b.s.; maybe one day she'd come up with some carefully-worded, official sounding reason for giving them back. It would have actually been a really funny incident, except for the fact that it was also kind of sad.

She could never imagine Temperance with Seeley, not in a million years-especially not in the bedroom. What would that even look like? They were so different; worlds apart. She with her awkward social skills, taking everything literally, icily efficient, and brainy to the point of sin. And he so charming, so passionate and carefree, and as unbookish as they came. The rough and tumble jock and the lab coat nerd-a pretty unlikely combination, and one that could never possibly work long term. It would be a miracle if Temperance ever even found someone-maybe a professor or a scientist or something would come along for her one day, if she was lucky. But Seeley? Come on.

And as to Seeley's disclosure about his past feelings for his partner, he might have been interested in her despite her social shortcomings because she was undeniably attractive-credit where credit was due-and they had worked together so closely for so many years. She herself wasn't all that immune to the allure of falling for a colleague, although she would be the first to confirm that this sort of office romance never stuck for long.

Seeley may have also been attracted to Temperance's highly individualistic-if quirky-streak, as well as her undying devotion to what she did. He seemed to like that fiery spark in a woman-look at whom he was dating now. She was definitely like Temperance in that regard: her job always came first. It had to; it still kind of did, even when she'd been willing to put some of the moving around on hold for a while until she could figure out how to arrange it so she could have both: her international reporting career _and_ Seeley. When they had more stability as a couple, when they had some more months together under their belt, she would bring up the fact that she wanted to start travelling again. He might feel secure enough in their relationship by then to let her pick up her bags and roam the globe freely, without worrying about her absence. She'd heard of long-distance relationships that worked; maybe she and Seeley would be in one of those, if the incentives were kept right for him. And hot, sweaty sex right after a long trip was the perfect incentive for most guys, especially when it came gift-wrapped in the appropriately slutty lingerie. Hannah was almost positive that with a little sweet-talking, she could get Seeley on board with this particular arrangement. He'd already happily gotten a taste of her of amazing sexting and phone-porn skills, and she also new for a fact that she photographed extremely well, especially in filmy nighties.

She definitely wanted to keep Seeley in her life though, and she would have to play her cards correctly just in case there was a chance that Temperance was right about him getting too invested. He was fantastic; always treated her like a queen, was so thoughtful and considerate, and more importantly, he made her laugh. It didn't hurt that he was great eye-candy too, with and especially without his clothes on. The whole sh'bang, there, she had.

Why worry about it then, that he might be thinking of taking things between them too far? They had never even discussed the future, but she had always made it clear to him that her international journalism career was still important to her and that she was not the stay-at-home mom kind. She didn't even like kids, for crying out loud, and he knew that, although she always made an effort with Parker because he was Seeley's, and Parker truly was a cute kid. But kids for her-no way; she had already stated that in no uncertain terms. This was _exactly_ the kind of baggage she didn't need in her life. Besides, they were so far from discussing anything close to marriage with their busy schedules and their steamy nights, it was unimaginable to think that the subject would be coming up anytime soon. She hadn't explicitly ruled that option out for them to him in so many words, but she was pretty sure she had given more than enough hints that this was something she wasn't interested in. He was a smart FBI guy; he had to have picked that up.

Her independence had been hard-won and her standing in the news world fought for tooth and nail-she couldn't give those up, not for anything or anyone. Beautiful female reporters were a dime a dozen theses days, but ones that were actually taken seriously by their colleagues in the news room, earning their stripes the hard way, were not. Hannah was sure Seeley understood that. Still, sometimes she did wonder about him, mulled over the possibility that he might be tempted at some point to get a little too serious about what they had; that he might end up expecting something from her that she would never be willing to give him.

Again, it wasn't so much anything that he'd said or done so far that was giving her cause for concern; that wasn't the problem. It was really more about how other people around them reacted to their pairing. Perhaps _that_ was really what was making her more nervous than anything else.

Just a few days ago, when tagging along with Seeley to the lab with Parker in hand, Temperance's friend Angela had made a big deal about the three of them hanging out. Angela had winked in her direction, telling her in a confidential tone: "Booth doesn't let just _anybody_ get close to Parker, you know. You guys are really progressing here; you must mean a lot to him." And then there was Camille Saroyan, going on about how pleased she was for Seeley, that he was finally in a solid relationship. "Having a family has always been so important for him, you know. It's just great seeing that he's finally getting that. That big hulking guy of yours is really a vulnerable little boy inside, Hannah-don't be fooled by the cocky belt buckle." And on and on the subtle comments came and went. They seemed innocent enough, but she felt an undercurrent of seriousness running through them that made her uneasy. And who could miss Caroline Julian's evil eye, which always seemed to be pointed her way? Maybe the woman was just an old sourpuss, but she got the feeling that there was more to it than that.

She shook her head to make her hair a little looser while making a determined effort to dismiss her fears as sheer paranoia. She wasn't going to let these foolish worries put a damper on her evening. Most likely, this gaggle of mother hens in Seeley's life all had varying degrees of crushes on him, and maybe that's why they were so territorial when it came to his dating anyone. She didn't blame them for that-what woman with eyes on her head wouldn't? It actually was kind of cute if you thought about it, all this concern for him, and it didn't feel even slightly mean-spirited, so why let it bother her?

They obviously hadn't seen their "little boy" in action in Afghanistan dressed in full combat gear, wielding a rifle she could barely carry, running door to door as insurgents were taking pot-shots at him and his unit. Shooting back without hesitation and with incredible accuracy, taking his life into his own hands time and time again, defending the men and women under his command. And barely a scratch to show for it. No, no boy there at all; one hundred percent grown-up male, as far as she could tell. And the way he had risked his life for her without batting an eye… wow; the memory still made her shiver.

They didn't need to worry about him, all these women, not one bit. Seeley could definitely fend for himself. Maybe they just didn't know him as well as she did.

She put on her nice, white coat over that little black dress he had taken a shine to before, and looked in the mirror one more time as she grabbed her keys. _Looking foxy for your guy_, she thought confidently.

She wasn't sure what kind of evening Seeley had planned for them; only that he mentioned it was a going to be a big night for them and that he was taking her somewhere really nice. When she had jokingly asked what sort of milestone it was that they were celebrating, he had cryptically replied "us. We're celebrating us." Whatever the celebration involved, she was certain of one thing-it would end up being very gratifying for them both. She couldn't wait to catch up with him by the reflecting pool, more than ready, willing and able to be whisked away to whatever romantic place he had picked out for them. And afterwards? All lacey lingerie spread out on the floor and crumpled linens on the bed, their by now trademarked date-ender.

That was the one thing she knew she could unerringly depend on: fun and good times with Seeley, always.


	2. Telling Angela

_Just a little fluffy breather from all the angst in Time Out. Hope you enjoy!_

_Ugh-I can't believe I'm here this early_ Angela thought dejectedly, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she surveyed her empty office. Why couldn't Hodgins have let her snooze just a bit longer? Did he really have to be so enthusiastic about his work _all the time_? It was her first full day back at the Jeffersonian-by all rights she should've been allowed to sleep in late. The irony was that she had actually been looking forward to coming back for weeks, until just about 5:30 this morning. She loved Michael Vincent beyond her wildest dreams, but being at home all day listening to Elmo and playing house was driving her stir crazy. Granted, there were walks to the park, a few museum visits and some mommy-baby groups during her leave, but not much by way of adult conversation-tips on getting their bundles of joy to sleep through the night and avoiding diaper rash didn't count. Gossip, rapid-fire banter, sniping, conjecturing, heart-to-hearts; that's what she was truly missing.

And Michael would be just down the hall, in the Jeffersonian's daycare, which was about as stimulating and loving an environment as she could possibly hope for a child of hers. And let's be honest here-probably way better for him than being at home alone with his jittery, unstructured mom all day.

But all of a sudden she found herself missing her baby boy, and that plus the early morning ride, well…it was just the final nail in the coffin of her misery. Oh-and she had almost forgotten until she was reminded by the never-smelled-so good aroma coming from the office's percolator-caffeine was still off-limits.

_I hate all those know-it-all studies,_ she groused. Give it another year, probably right after she was done with breast-feeding, and they'd probably come out with a new study declaring how wonderful it was for babies to have caffeine in their breast milk. Wouldn't that just be the cake-topper; then she could feel guilty about depriving Michael of this essential brain booster.

But regardless of either her missed sweet-pea or the longed-for java, by enlarge, the main culprit of her foul mood today was Hodgins-Hodgins and his burgeoning slime mold.

"It can't wait another hour, Ange. I'm sorry-we have to go in early; the slime mold…"

_Screw the slime mold_, she cursed under her breath. But if she didn't ride in with him, she would have to hoof it there later on her own with the baby in a cab and she wasn't up to it, not today. It was rainy and chilly, and she wanted nothing to do with foul-weather gear, especially not while she was juggling a baby carrier.

Wasn't it amazing that with Hodgins' giant collection of fancy cars, only one of them ever seemed to be in working order at any given time? Yesterday, it had been her own minivan's cooling system's turn to fall prey to the well-known "curse of the thousand cars."

The sole bright spot that remained in her day other than seeing Michael Vincent later on was the prospect of finally being reunited full-time with Brennan in the lab. Every time Angela had come by to visit, her friend had either been completely absorbed in her work, unable to chit-chat (well, maybe not exactly chit-chat-like that was something Brennan was even capable of doing), or she'd been entirely MIA from the Jeffersonian, presumably out in the field with you-know-who. Angela had only been able to talk to her on the days when Brennan had come by the house to visit her and Michael, but since that happened mainly in the evenings and Hodgins was usually there, the subject of Brennan's new and vastly improved night-life remained conspicuously verboten.

The previous evening had been a great example of yet another lost opportunity between the pair-like two ships passing in the night; so, so close, but not a single meaningful flare exchanged. Angela was really hoping that Brennan would stay for dinner when she came by to drop off that box of journals for Hodgins, which would have been great, because her hubby was working late and they could've gone into the finer details of just what exactly Brennan was doing with Booth when the lights went out. Unfortunately for her, aside from a perky and decidedly unBrennany wave and a sad excuse, there'd been nothing. Brennan was "in a hurry," and you-know-who was waiting in the car, looking suspiciously like the cat that ate the canary. Ahhh, for the days of young, carefree love…

So here Angela was, coffeeless and crabby as she headed to the platform to greet her coworkers, waiting impatiently for Brennan to arrive in order to get the full scoop that might make her pathetic day worth it. Just as she was getting ready to make her grand entrance, however, she spotted the hush-hush couple walking into the Jeffersonian together. Interested in seeing their chemistry out in public, she opted to step back into the relative anonymity of a doorway so that she could spy on their interactions not only with each other, but with the other members of the Jeffersonian staff.

Oh, how she had missed all of this…

So far, things were looking good. Booth and Brennan were doing a decent job of keeping the changed nature of their relationship under wraps. A little safe distance between the two, a concerted effort not to look into each other's eyes for too long and the usual non-committal wave as the FBI agent went on his way. But then it happened, and Angela's face lit up like a sparkler in July.

She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, but no one from the staff seemed to be paying any attention; Angela wondered how long that would last. The lab might be populated by the very definition of cluelessness when it came to personal matters, but ultimately the interns were no fools; observation and deduction skills were built into every strand of their nerd-driven DNA. And as for Cam, if she even bothered to look a little closely, it was over. Cam was as brilliant as she was nosy; it wouldn't take too long for her boss to figure things out.

If Angela had to venture a guess as to why no one had yet picked up on the love vibes that were so painfully obvious to her on this, her first day back, it was because for one, Brennan had already told her about her and Booth's hook-up, which she grudgingly admitted gave her a pretty serious advantage in the paltry field of Jeffersonian competitors. And second, the couple had been a non-couple for so long, just about everyone on the planet had given up on the possibility that anything could actually ever happen between them in any place even remotely resembling a bedroom.

_Ha-little did they know_ she thought, snickering to herself. Their two bedroom were apparently getting quite the eyeful lately if Brennan's recent weird, bubbly attitude was any indication.

Angela's only wish was that the news, whenever it came, wouldn't be delivered when she was out visiting Michael at the daycare; she wouldn't want to miss out on her co-worker's reactions to _that_ juicy tidbit for anything, not even for her adorable little mini-Hodgins just hop and a skip away. This, my friends, was a once-in-lifetime occurrence, like the arrival of Halley's comet, whereas she could probably pop out at least one more kid.

"Why were you guys here so early this morning? And why did Booth run off so quickly?" Angela heard Cam ask Brennan as her friend walked up the steps.

To Angela's expertly trained eye, it didn't appear as if Cam had a particular interest in the matter or any type of agenda-she was still studiously poking away at what little was left of yet another poor soul on the examination table, not even bothering to look at Brennan. In all likelihood, the inquiry was just a friendly attempt at small talk.

"Why do you ask?" came Brennan's guarded reply.

_Big no-no, Brennan,_ Angela whispered to herself as she shook her head in disapproval. _Sweetie,_ y_ou're making too big of a deal about it._

"No reason; it's just that when Booth comes to the lab it's usually because he's looking for something. And it _is_ kind of early. You stay up all night interviewing witnesses, or what?"

"Oh" Brennan answered, visibly relaxing. She squared her shoulders as she put on gloves and her face took on its usual professional aloofness.

"Actually, we were interviewing one of the potential murderers of Mr. Henderson, here, earlier this morning" she replied, pointing at the unfortunate victim on the table. "Booth thought it would be more expeditious to pick me up on the way to the suspect's house; that way, we could obtain the information we needed sooner." Brennan peered down at the remains, looking closely at Cam's handiwork.

_Oh oh" _Angela thought, making another face_. Way too much detail, hon-less is more. How in God's earth hasn't anyone already seen it?_

"Dr. Saroyan, I believe you are being too forceful with the removal of flesh from the victim's parietal bone; you could be damaging valuable evidence."

Angela smiled. _Nice bait and switch, Brennan._ She gave her friend full credit for the brilliant maneuver; Angela didn't think Brennan had it in her to be so deceitful. Must be the recent company she's been keeping…

The tactic seemed to work, and Cam rolled her goggle-shrouded eyes while pursing her lips together at the not-so-veiled criticism. If there was one thing that Cam disliked, it was having her professional performance scrutinized and graded, even if it happened to be by the world's foremost forensic anthropologist.

"I think I can handle this, Dr. Brennan. Really" Cam shot back. And as per the usual, the sarcasm was lost on Brennan.

"Oh, by the way, some boxes came in for you last night; I had Dr. Fisher put them in your office. They looked pretty official-they came from the Egyptian Embassy with bodyguards in tow. You might want to go and take a look."

An expression of sheer glee appeared on Brennan's face-probably the first time in quite a while that such a thing had happened not involving Booth.

"My 27th Dynasty feline mummies!" Brennan said, practically squealing. "The Egyptian government is allowing me to examine them in order deconstruct mummification methods utilized in the First Archaemenid Kingdom; these particular specimens exhibit a remarkable degree of preservation not found on other mummies of that period. If you think you can proceed effectively without me on Mr. Henderson, I'll go and examine them to make sure they were shipped properly."

"Yes Dr. Brennan, I think we can" Cam said with a bemused expression; "we'll do our best."

As Angela watched Brennan go, she decided that this was the perfect time for her friend to be graded on her performance; there wouldn't be any witnesses, and they could actually spend a few minutes alone. She followed Brennan into her office, closing the door behind her.

"Angela, it is so good to see you back at the lab" Brennan said, turning around when she heard the door click. She gave the artist an awkward bear-hug. "I've missed your company at the lab."

"I've missed you too, sweetie. Even though you visited me at home, it's not quite the same as being around you all day. Although you sure seem to be out in the field a lot lately."

Brennan glanced away and Angela was sure she could detect a decent measure of embarrassment in the anthropologist. This was going to be fun-it might even make up for the 5:30 a.m. wake-up call.

"Speaking of someone who's around you all day-and all night, apparently, how's our very special G-man doing these days?"

Brennan suddenly became incredibly interested in the signage on the large crates crowding her office.

"I assume you're referring to Booth" she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "He's doing very well, thank you."

When she finally found the courage to face Angela, her eyes immediately narrowed with suspicion.

"Why are you examining me so closely? Is there something wrong with my appearance?" Brennan asked cautiously, noticing the extreme interest with which Angela was looking at her. She'd been ambushed in the past by Angela-specifically since she'd started going out with Booth-and the artist's thorough scrutiny of the condition of her clothes had seldom ended well. So she certainly had more than enough good reasons to be wary whenever Angela's eyes lingered too long on her person.

"You know, Brennan, if you expect to keep this little charade between you and your hot honey to yourself, you're going to have to do a better job hiding the evidence."

"What evidence? I don't know what you're referring to" she asked, sincerely flummoxed by the comment.

"Of course you don't; you're a newbie at this. Let me enlighten you in the ways of forbidden love at the office. Exhibit A: you're wearing the same shirt and earrings you had on last night when you came by and dropped off that box for Hodgins-I can see the shirt under your coat. You're lucky no one noticed, and by no one, I only mean Cam, who's the only person in this place with any fashion sense, present company excluded of course."

Brennan looked down at her clothes in consternation.

"I didn't have time to stop by my place this morning; I didn't think anyone would notice."

"Rookie mistake, my dear; quite understandable given the novelty of the event. Now let me move on to Exhibit B: stubble rash. That rosy glow that your face is sporting right now, I recognized it immediately as a direct consequence of early morning sex, defined as sex taking place before a razor has been employed by the male half of the romping duo. Trust me, nothing you can buy at the store exfoliates quite as well. It'll keep you looking youthful and fresh for a long time, so it has its benefits. But if you want to be discreet, send him off to shave first and _then_ go ahead and romp all you want."

Brennan was left in wordless wonder at her friend's excellent deduction skills, as her hand automatically went to an admittedly chafed cheek.

"See, I'm goooood. I told you." Angela grinned as she made a pointing gesture.

"Is there anything else I should be vigilant about?"

"Yeah, but I'm afraid there's no cure for that one."

Brennan's eyebrows came together as she tried figuring out what this final misstep might have been. She finally gave up.

"So, what is it?"

"It's that look you both had when you said goodbye. Nice try, though-I'll give you brownie points for effort."

"And what look was that?"

"Sheer, unadulterated worship on Booth's part-the kind that makes women turn all gooey inside-and massive-colossal, really-high school kind of crush on yours."

"That's preposterous; no one could detect all that simply from seeing us saying goodbye. You're reading your own knowledge about our relationship into our body language" Brennan said stuttering a little. "You're worse than Sweets when it comes to seeing the nonexistent in a situation, Angela."

"Oh, just admit it, at least to me; you're in luuuuv; and you, my friend are majorly crushing on your boyfriend. It's kind of cute, actually. Don't try to deny it; you're blushing, and I know for a fact that you never blush unless the person on the other side had really gotten to you."

Brennan didn't object to the accusation this time, couldn't, because she knew it was the truth. She _was_ majorly "crushing" on Booth; every time she saw him, whenever she heard his voice over the phone, whenever he smiled at her. A sensation that left her feeling slightly unbalanced at times, as if she were having an out-of-body experience. Endorphins, serotonin, adrenaline-she could call it whatever she wanted, but the heady, out-of-control feeling that left her hovering about six inches off the floor on most days was still the same. It had given concrete meaning of the phrase "butterflies in the stomach."

And to add insult to injury, she could feel her already "glowing" face turning even redder.

"Yes, I suppose I am all those things" she finally admitted, chewing absently on her lower lip.

Angela grinned.

"It's not a sin, you know, to be in love. So go ahead, indulge all you want-you both deserve it. But like I said, if you want to keep that singular and unbelievably titillating fact all to yourselves, you're going to have to work harder on your routine. Tell Booth to wipe the drool off his chin when he drops you off. And you-just don't look at him at all."

Angela was suddenly reminded of something-something her friend wasn't going to appreciate. "Oh, Brennan" she began guiltily; "I kind of told Hodgins about you and Booth. I'm sorry-I tried so hard keeping it a secret, but it sort of slipped out by accident. I swear he won't tell anyone-I made him promise, at the risk of no sex for him for a week. And that hurts me just as much as it does him. I hope you're not angry with me."

"I shouldn't have put you into that situation to begin with, Angela" Brennan said with a subdued expression. "It wasn't fair of me to place that burden on you; you're married-you have the right to share information with your husband. Besides, it doesn't matter; I'm afraid in a very short period of time our relationship will become quite apparent to everyone."

"And why is that? Are you making some big announcement? Because if you are, I want to be there; that'll be at least a little repayment for having to keep the news of you guys finally doing the deed all to myself. You can't imagine how incredibly hard that was."

Brennan bit her lip once again.

"I'm pregnant, Ange."

It was Angela's turn to be surprised. She froze, her mouth hanging open and her eyes as big and round as twin full moons as they went from Brennan's face to her abdomen and back up.

"Brennan-oh my God. You're pregnant? How? Wait," she sputtered, "that's a stupid question-I _know_ how. But when…I mean…weren't you guys using, um, stuff?"

Brennan shook her head, looking a little flustered. "Not the first time; and maybe not every time on the following day-it became hard to keep track. There was so much going on; we were so tired and still very much in shock over Vincent's death-we weren't entirely acting rationally, I'm afraid."

"I would hope not. Does Booth know?"

"He knows. He's…happy" Brennan said with a far-away smile.

"Duh-no wonder he was looking at you like that this morning" Angela exclaimed, slapping the side of her head. "It's like he'd just come back from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. And what about you," she asked somewhat carefully. "Are _you_ happy?"

"I have to admit that at first I was rather apprehensive about the pregnancy, but between Booth's reassurances and some time to get used to the idea, I believe I have come to feel very happy about it. I found out on the day Michael was born-in one of the hospital bathrooms; I told Booth right after we left you."

Angela walked up to her friend and embraced her with warmth. "That seems to have been a very lucky day for both of us, then. This is wonderful; we can have playdates, and we can talk about our kids, maybe sneak them into the lab with us. Oh Brennan, all of this, I'm thrilled that you're finally getting it-a family of your own. No one deserves it more. You and Booth, and now a baby…it's amazing."

Before she could ask any questions, she saw Booth opening Brennan's door out of the corner of her eye. He took one look at the hugging friends, and Angela was certain he knew.

"You told her" he said, smiling at his partner.

"I didn't intend to; I'm sorry." Brennan replied contritely. "It's just that I suddenly felt the need to share the news with someone, and Angela's the first person I thought of."

The admission made Angela teary; she took a step back to watch the couple, and Booth took her place, slinging an arm possessively around Brennan's shoulder. "It's your news" he said grinning now; "you can share it with whoever you want. Sorry-_whomever_ you want. I know how much my bad grammar bugs you" he joked.

"Our news" she corrected. "Our child is one half you."

Regardless of the fact that Angela was still in the room with them and that according to Brennan they never engaged in blatant PDAs-that they had a rule against it, Angela knew for a fact-Booth bent down and kissed Brennan gently on the lips.

Angela put her joined hands to her heart-it was too sweet for words.

"Awww" she exclaimed with a grin. "I can't wait for that baby. I hope it's a girl-then she and Michael can date."

The kiss broke off abruptly as Booth and Brennan remembered that someone else was in the room with them.

"Aren't you jumping a little ahead of things, Angela?" Booth asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Besides, if it's a girl she's not dating until she's thirty, so Michael's going to have a long wait."

"We'll see about that" Angela replied cagily. "I have my ways," she added. "Well, congratulations you two-I'll let you deliver the news, even if it kills me. But just be warned, if I'm not there, I'm going to have Hodgins record it on his phone. And I can't be responsible if the clip ends up getting serious airtime on YouTube. So maybe you want to do me the courtesy of waiting for me before you go ahead and spill."

"There are a few other people we have to tell first" Brennan said, looking up at her partner. "Booth's grandfather, Parker. Then we'll tell. Right?"

"Right" he replied, his face speaking of pride and contentment. _That _was a man about to explode with joy, Angela mused.

"Congratulations again you two" she said, on her way to leaving them to whatever they were in the mood for doing. But not before she could get a little good-natured teasing in; her continuing vow of silence about them was coming at a price.

She punched Booth's arm in jest as she walked past him on her way out.

"And by the way, nice aim, Special Agent Daddy. A hole in one" she said, laughing mercilessly.

"Okay-away with you; I'm sure you're going to get a lot of mileage out of this, so let's space it out-don't burn yourself out too early" Booth replied good-naturedly.

"And Angela, thanks."

"My pleasure, kids."

_And probably yours_, she thought, shutting the door with a solid thump behind her. God, what she wouldn't have given to be a fly on _that_ wall all those months ago…


End file.
